Men of our Word
by Madamx28
Summary: One possible outcome of the trilogy. EJ pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disney owns it all.**

**Chapter 1**

The day of their wedding had finally arrived and Elizabeth looked radiant, this time there would be no bad weather, and no arresting officers to interfere with the ceremony. She gazed out her bedroom window which overlooked the caribbean sea, thinking about the path she had chosen and where it had led her. She was happy with where she was headed but a great sadness weighed down her heart. She wished she didn't have to let him go, they had been through so much together and their bond was deep, but if she was to follow her heart's desire she knew that this was the end.

She walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection, she didn't look like a pirate, not today. She returned to her spot at the window and sat down waiting for her father to arrive and escort her to the battlement, the location of her wedding. She'd insisted on having it there, outside under the wide open sky with the ocean breeze blowing on her face, it seemed...right. Elizabeth didn't have to wait long for soon came the knock on the door that she had been waiting for since she was a young girl. She took a deep breath and called out.

"Come in!"

Governor Swann entered the room and stopped short at the sight of his daughter.

"Elizabeth!" he exclaimed, "You look absolutely beautiful! Why, you take my very breath away! Young William Turner is the luckiest man alive!"

Elizabeth smiled at this and quickly smoothed her dress and picked up her flowers.

"Are you ready?" her father asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"I'm ready!" she replied confidently and took her father's arm.

As she stood under the shade of the arches she could see Will standing at the edge of the battlement, in the very spot that she had fallen the day of Commodore Norrington's promotion ceremony. This time there would be no fainting.

She had loved Will from the moment she met him, his handsome face was not lost on her the day they had pulled him out of the water as a young boy, and she had done her best to take care of him. Today, however, was the day she was letting that go, for today was the day of their marriage and afterwards that burden would be lifted. Not that she thought of his safety as a burden really, but her loyalty to that task had become a hinderance to her at times.

He looked handsome and he smiled as she took her place next to him and looked up into his face. Before she turned towards the cleric she scanned the horizons and saw a ship with black sails floating in the distance. She smiled and once again turned her face to Will who returned her gaze and gently took her hand.

"Dearly beloved," the cleric began, "we are gathered here today..."

Nobody had told James Norrington about the wedding, he had been having difficulties as of late and often spent his time in Tortuga drinking away his sorrows. Although he attempted to get his life back on track he couldn't get things to go the way he wanted. He had Jack Sparrow's pistol in his possession now and often thought about using it on the pirate, but without a ship it was an impossible goal. He'd just bide his time.

When word of Elizabeth's upcoming wedding to Will finally did reach him, it was purely by accident. Murtogg had let it slip during one of their conversations but Mulroy was quick to change the subject so he had little information about the event. It was Mr Gibbs who provided him with the particulars and he assured him that Jack Sparrow would not be in attendance.

He gained passage on a small fishing vessel that was making it's way from Tortuga to Port Royal during one of it's weekly jaunts. He arrived quite early in the morning and looking up at the fort he could see preparations for the big event were beginning. Flowers adorned the walls of the fort and he could hear a string quartet practicing in the distance. He walked up the hill that lead to the fort, but stopped before reaching it and hid behind a stone wall, he didn't want his presence known until the time was right. He wouldn't fail again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disney owns it all.**

**Chapter 2**

"Do you, William Turner, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Will answered with a smile as he gazed into Elizabeths eyes.

"And do you, Elizabeth Swann, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?

"I do." she responded, and tears formed in her eyes as she looked up into Will's face.

Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Everything happened so fast. It was far quicker than Elizabeth thought it would be and it was more painful than she ever imagined. Will lifted the veil from his new wife's face and leaned in to kiss her lips when a figure burst forward. It was Norrington, and his intentions were immediately clear. He takes great strides to reach the front of the battlement and upon arriving looks into Elizabeth's eyes.

"I'm sorry Mrs Turner, but I simply can't allow this", he says with great conviction.

He raises Jack's pistol, cocks it and aims it at Elizabeth's heart.

As Norrington does this he thinks back to the words he spoke the day Jack and Will had commandeered the Interceptor while it was under his command _"I'd rather see her at the bottom of the ocean then in the hands of a pirate."_

"You won't win this time, Sparrow!", he says bitterly through clenched teeth.

He squeezes the trigger.

In an instant it was over. Will had acted with speed and precision, just as he always had in these types of situations and now he was finally fulfilling his promise he had made to Jack _("This girl - how far are you willing to go to save her?" Jack had asked. "I'd die for her" Will responded without even having to think about it.) _Everything was as it should be, the path was now clear and the sailing would be smooth. When the bullet entered Will's heart, he felt no pain at all, just a great pressure and some difficulty breathing. He lay on the ground with his head in Elizabeth's lap, and he saw the tears falling from her eyes. The ignorance he had as an inexperienced boy was now completely eradicated and in it's place came total peace and knowledge. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Now, you can be free." he struggled with his words as his breathing was becoming more and more laboured.

"Yes" she cried and her tears flowed like a river flooding as the result of a torrential rain. "I love you, Will. I'll always love you!" She looked down at the man who sacrificed everything for her happiness, and she was grateful that he understood the importance of what he had done even though it tore at her heart.

"I love you too, Elizabeth", and with those words his life slipped away from his body.

It had been two weeks since Will's passing but they had gone by quickly. It had started raining after the wedding and hadn't stopped, from everything that Elizabeth had been told, this amount of rainfall at this time of year was unheard of. She spent a great deal of time alone in her room during these rainy days, staring out at dark, violent seas waiting for a break in the clouds. During this time she reflected on the impact her choices had made on others, and realized that what William did for her was of his own free will. She too had picked her own path, as did Norrington, who was now locked away in the very cell that he had imprisoned Captain Jack Sparrow. Somewhere, out on those stormy seas, the Captain was sailing a beautiful enchanted ship with black sails and intricate wood carvings throughout its interior. She thought it suited him perfectly and for the first time in two weeks, she smiled.

Three nights later, she awoke to moonlight streaming through her window and onto her bed. There were no more cursed pirates, of that she was certain, and the moonlight was a welcome sight for it meant the storm had passed. She rose out of her bed, walked down the stairs and out into the empty street. She picked some of the tiny, white flowers that Will used to always present her with upon his arrival at her house in the mornings, and she began to walk down the road with them. She had never seen such a bright night, she could make out every detail as she walked down the road, and she could hear the sounds of the distant jungle, almost as if she were in the midst of it. Everything seemed so alive and vibrant and promising. She reached the church where Will was buried and made her way around back and over to his marker. She knelt down, placed the flowers next to the headstone, and began to speak.

"So now it's I who brings you flowers darling, you deserve them more than I. I'll never take for granted what you've given me, but it's time for me to move forward and begin my life. You have lived but one life. One very short life. I have the promise of many ahead of me, and thanks to you I'm free to pursue them. I owe you, Will Turner and I'll repay you in the form of living each day to the fullest. I'll never forget you and my love for you will never die."

Elizabeth stood up and cast one final smile toward Will's grave, then she turned and walked back to the road, not once looking back. She had no regrets.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disney owns it all.**

**Chapter 3**

Elizabeth made her way to the battlement and saw Murtogg and Mulroy lazily keeping watch. She wandered over to the edge and looked down at the rocks below. She couldn't remember the first time she fell, she had passed out and was unaware that anything had happened until she was revived and found herself lying on the dock. She looked back up and scanned the horizon, the sea was as calm as the moon was bright and it took only but a moment for her eyes to find what they were seeking. He too, had kept his promise. She smiled and ran back through the sleeping town and up to the house.

She owed her father a letter. He loved her, she never doubted that and he deserved to know that she was okay. She began to write:

_Dear Father,_

_I'm writing you this letter to let you know that I'm safe and happy._

_The time has come for me to follow my heart, so I have taken leave of this place and by the time you read this, I'll be long gone. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you, you've always known what was in my heart even though you were afraid to say it. Please don't worry about me, I'm in good hands and most importantly, I'm free and I'm a pirate._

_Thank you for giving me everything that you could, you are the best father any daughter could hope for and I love you with all my heart._

_I don't know when I'll see you again, but this is the path I've chosen and I know it's the right one._

_Do take good care of yourself._

_Love always,_

_Elizabeth_

She placed the note on her pillow, glanced out the window and saw the Pearl had gotten closer even though there was absolutely no breeze. She hurried out of the house still wearing her nightclothes and upon her return to the battlement she saw that the guards who were there a few moments ago had conveniently disappeared. Elizabeth stepped up onto the ledge, turned her back to the sea, and allowed herself to freefall into the water below. This time the fall was different, she needed no assistance to break the surface once she went under and she had no heavy dress or binding corset to free herself from. She swam out to the waiting ship and proceeded to climb the rope that was hung over the side.

Once again, she was boarding the Black Pearl in the dead of the night, only this time it's Captain was promising freedom. As she swung herself over the edge she looked towards the stern and saw him standing at the ships wheel, she walked over to him and extended her greeting.

"Captain Sparrow! Permission to come aboard?" her white nightclothes clinging to her body, exposing herself to him almost as if she were naked.

He looks her up and down and with a satisfied smile removes his hat and put his arms around her waist.

"Are you sure this is what you want, love? A lifetime or more with the likes of me?" he checks his compass "We'll be off the map again" he warned.

"It is." she says looking up into his eyes with admiration.

"If that be the case then, welcome aboard! Now let's get you out of those wet clothes. How about we go to my cabin and you can try on that dress I don't have?"

"Captain Sparrow! Do you speak this way to every drenched woman who comes aboard your ship?" Elizabeth chastised.

"Only the ones that bring me good luck!" he gives her a wink. "Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!" he orders the mid watch.

"Elizabeth, if you'll be so kind" he gestures her to move towards his cabin door while locking his gaze upon her face.

She knows this script and responds in turn.

"You're despicable" but this time she eyes him mischieviously.

"Pirates!." he says, referring to them both as he flashes that charming grin of his.

Elizabeth smiles playfully and nods in agreement then steps through his cabin door, a slight breeze stirs from out of nowhere and catches the canvas as the Black Pearl sails off into freedom.


End file.
